The dedication of the BJC Institute of Health at Washington University School of Medicine June 16 brought together dignitaries from not only across the Medical Center campus, but from our nation’s capital as well. Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director, National Institutes of Health, and Kathleen Sebelius, secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, joined the leadership of Washington University and BJC HealthCare to celebrate the opening of the institute that houses BioMed 21.

BioMed 21 is Washington University’s initiative to accelerate scientific discovery and rapidly apply breakthroughs to patient care. It embraces five interdisciplinary research centers focused on unlocking the mysteries of some of the most prevalent human health conditions:

• Cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Neurodegenerative diseases
• Infectious diseases
• Membrane excitability diseases

The BJC Institute of Health also will house additional university laboratories and departments, and some support functions for Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Fronting the BJC Institute of Health is a 2.2-acre plaza designed by Maya Lin that features a reflecting pool and trees, plants and grasses native to the region. The world-renowned artist is best known for her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The plaza was made possible by a naming gift from Robert G. and Ellen Clark and is dedicated to Ellen Clark, who passed away in March 2010.

By the numbers:

• 11 floors
• 680,000 square feet
• 5 interdisciplinary research centers
• 2.2-acre plaza
• 40,000 native plants
• 10 raised islands
• 80-foot reflecting pool